April 27, 2012 - After another plane departing from a
New York area airport was struck by geese Tuesday night
forcing an emergency landing, U.S. Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture
Committee, introduced new legislation on Wednesday.

This
legislation would cut bureaucratic red tape between the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Park
Service (NPS) allowing for the swift removal of Canada
geese currently posing a public safety risk at major New
York airports.

Since the ?Miracle on the Hudson? in 2009 where US
Airways Captain Sully Sullenberger made a heroic water
landing protecting the lives of all 155 passengers and
crew onboard shortly after taking off from LaGuardia
Airport due to a bird strike, the problem has not been
fully addressed by federal authorities.

Just
last week, a Los Angeles-bound Delta Airlines flight was
forced into an emergency return to JFK Airport shortly after
takeoff due to bird strike. According to recent news
reports, LaGuardia and JFK airports saw increases in bird
strikes of 28% and 53%, respectively, between 2009 and 2011.

?We cannot afford to sit back and wait for a
catastrophe to occur before cutting through bureaucratic red
tape between federal agencies,? said Senator Gillibrand. ?We
cannot and should not wait another day to act while public
safety is at risk.?

After the heroic landing of Capt. Sully
Sullenberger, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National
Park Service vowed to address the public safety problem posed by
Canada geese residing at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Due to the
lack of a coordinated effort between federal agencies, this
problem has still not been fully addressed more than three years
later and continues to post safety risks to flights departing
New York airports.

Senator Gillibrand?s legislation would cut
federal red tape and expedite the removal of the Canada geese
from the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge by requiring USDA to act
within 90 days of a determination by the FAA Administrator that
Canada Geese residing on National Park Service lands within 5
miles of a commercial airport pose a threat to flight safety.

It would also require USDA, in consultation with the Department
of the Interior and FAA, to remove geese by the end of the
subsequent molting period. Finally, the amendment requires USDA
to issue a final decision on the supplemental environmental
impact statement for the bird hazard reduction program at JFK
International Airport no later than June 1, 2012 and complete a
removal of the geese by August 1, 2012.

The National Park Service, which manages the wildlife
refuge, has cited the need for the completion of this
study before allowing USDA workers to remove birds from
the refuge area.